Jack for automobiles.



W. R. BROSS.

JAGKIPOB. AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1914.

1,1 30,472. Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

HE NORRIS FEIERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHH WASHINGTON. D C:

JACK FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

Application filed May 14, 1914. Serial 110. 838,416.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, lVILLIAM R. Bnoss, acitizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the town ofBabylon, county of Suffolk, State of New York, have invented a new. anduseful Improvement in Jacks for Automobiles, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to lifting jacks for automobiles, andparticularly designed for use in lifting or raising a portion of the carand provided with an adjustable means for maintaining an element or partof the car in a desired position while the jack is in raised position.

More specifically, my invention comprises a lifting jack to a fixedportion of which is secured a standard provided with a holding element.Such arrangement is useful, particularly when used in connection withautomobiles, in which case the holding element serves to maintain araised wheel in a desired position when the car has been jacked up, orsimilarly hold in position any other part of the car which is otherwisegiven freedom of motion when the car has been raised, and thereby avoidpossible damage or derangement of the parts.

Preferably the holding element is made adjustable to accommodatedifferent sizes of articles to be held thereby, as different sizes ofwheel spokes, or the like. Furthermore, the holding element and itsmounting on the jack is preferably constructed to be capable of beingpushed or collapsed into reduced dimensions to facilitate storage in theautomobile.

Further features of my invention will be more fully understood from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1is an end elevation of a jack constructed in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of same; Fig. 3 is a detailsectional elevation of selfholding coupling of the arm carrying theholding member with the body of the jack; and Figs. 1 and 5 are detailviews of parts of the self-holding coupling.

Referring to the drawings, the jack 1 is of the ordinary single ordouble stroke type operable by vertical movement of the handle 2. Thecasing 3 of the jack is shown provided with the lug 4 from whichprojects the stud 5. The lateral face 6 of lug 4 is provided with fourspaced cams 7. The

stud 5 passes through an opening in the block 8, and the face of theblock 8 opposite the face 6 of lug 1 is provided with four a 13 in block8, and positioned therein by means of a winged nut or'set screw 14. Atone end of the rod 12 is provided the holding member comprising thefingers 15, 15, pivoted at 16 and tensioned by the distending spring 17.By forcing the manipulating ends 18, 18, together, the forward ends offingers 15, 15, will be moved apart. Thus, in the use of my invention,particularly for jacking up a front axle 19 of an automobile, the handle2 of the jack will be operated as usual, during which operation the armor rod 12 may be in the vertical position. After the axle has beenraised the desired amount, the arm 12 will be moved to horizontalposition and the fingers 15, 15 opened sufliciently by pressing togetherthe ends 18, 18 to pass around a spoke 20, whereupon releasing the ends18, 18 the spring 17 will force the fingers 15, 15 into engagement with.the spoke 20. If necessary, to effect the desired adjustment, the setscrew or winged nut 14 will be loosened to allow the arm or rod 12 to bemoved to the proper length. In such position of the apparatus, the wheelwill be held rigid by the fingers 15, 15, grasping'the spoke 20, therebyfacilitating the operation of pumping air into the tires, or of removingor putting on a tire, etc. It will be noted that in the operativeposition of the apparatus the rod or arm 12 is rigidly held againstforces in the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the rod or arm 12,notwithstanding the adjustable coupling.

Upon releasing the fingers 15, 15, from the spoke of the wheel, the arm12 may be pushed away from the wheel and then swung into its verticalposition, in which position my combined jack and holding deviceoccupiespractically the same space for storage as an ordinary jack.

The cam or rod 12 may also be provided at its other end with anotherform of holding member comprising the pointed lug21 adapted to beinserted between the leaves of a spring, such as a body spring of theautomobile. Thus, to spread the leaves of a spring, the jack is appliedto the adjacent axle or to the bottom of the spring and operated toraise the same; the arm 12 is then moved to vertical position and thelug 21 inserted between the leaves of the spring desired to be spreadapart, after which the set-screw 14L is tightened to hold the arm 12 inposition. By allowing the movable or rack element of the ack to drop,the lug 21 will retain in raised position the spring leaf under which itis inserted; and the lower loaf will drop owing to the removal of thelifting force previously exerted by the movable or rack element of thejack, in which position the face of the leaf of the spring may bereadily inspected, cleaned, oiled, or otherwise treated. After suchtreatment, the rack or movable element of the jack is again raisedsufficiently and the arm 12 turned to pull out the lug 21, and thusreadily effect the desired results without subjecting any part of theautomobile to eX- treme strain. Similarly other forms of holding membersmay be employed in combination with the jack to secure other results asmay be desired.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specificembodiments thereof, it will be understood that many changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the invention.

That I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Thecombination with a lifting jack,

tra ers of an arm, means for rotatably mounting said arm on said jack,said means comprising a stud carried by said jack and a mem ber pivotedto said stud, said member having a recess receiving said arm and a setscrew for positioning said arm on said member at any desired pointlongitudinally of said arm.

2. The combination with a lifting jack, of an arm, a tool elementcarried at one end of said arm, means for rotatably mounting said arm onsaid jack, said means comprising a. stud fixed to a stationary portionof said jack and a member pivoted to said stud, said member having arecess receiving said arm and a set screw for positioning said arm onsaid member at any desired point longitudinally of said arm.

3. The combination with a lifting jack, of an arm, a stud carried by thestationary element of the jack, a block rotatably mounted on said stud,cam elements, a spring cooperating with said cam elements and said blockto hold said block at certain predetermined positions relatively to thestationary element of the jack, said block bein rovided with a recessreceivin said 0 arm, and fastening means for positioning said arm at anydesired point longitudinally of said arm.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM R. BROSS.

Witnesses:

ALBERT R. PALMER, ARTHUR 1V. DALTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

